


The Storm Before the Calm

by WhereverYouAre36



Category: Free!
Genre: Fireman Makoto, Future Fish Au, M/M, also i made sure to include plenty of makoto's cat, giftfic, merman Haru, sadly reigisa is only a side pair
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-25
Updated: 2015-12-25
Packaged: 2018-05-09 04:55:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,054
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5526137
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WhereverYouAre36/pseuds/WhereverYouAre36
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“The ocean will never hurt you. It loves you, too.” Haru looked back out at the waves and slipped off the rock. A webbed hand was extended to Makoto in offering. “It won’t harm you.”</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Storm Before the Calm

**Author's Note:**

  * For [littlev123](https://archiveofourown.org/users/littlev123/gifts).



It was Rei’s bloodcurdling shriek that broke Makoto Tachibana from his daze.

The elder looked to the scientist, whose face was currently invisible in the cloud of smoke. In front of the lab table was a figure bent in half with raucous laughter. “O-Oh my god, Rei-chan! You l-look so ridiculous!”

Rei’s frozen form finally sprung to life. “Shut up!” Turning around, he frantically looked to the mirror and found his charred face less than satisfactory. “This…this is not beautiful!” As the scientist set about washing his face, Nagisa quickly replaced the beaker he had purposefully tampered with. The younger winked to Makoto, and in turn he smiled in amusement. How they had ever survived a relationship longer than a few weeks baffled Makoto, but he was happy for his friends. They deserved love, and they seemed happy.

Makoto, on the other hand, had his cat – whom he dearly loved and was content to cuddle with at the end of a long workday when he came home bone weary and sweaty from that day’s fire. Nothing put him to sleep quite as quickly as a purring ball of fluff against his chest.

“You look fine, Rei. Just try again and I’m sure things will work out,” encouraged Makoto.

Rei turned from the sink, face and hair dripping wet and still slightly gray. He angrily pushed his glasses up on his face and tried to regain his posture. “This is impossible.”  
The fireman stood and placed a hand on Rei’s shoulder, offering him a comforting smile. “It’s okay, I’m sure you’ll be fine.” It was then that Makoto’s radio buzzed. The scratchy voice told all listeners that there was a fire in an ocean side store and all units were requested.

His expression fell, but he quickly packed up his things. “I’m sorry, guys, I’ll see you later.”

“Aww Mako – chan, do you have to go?” Nagisa pouted.

Makoto gave them both a gentle smile and silently prayed that Nagisa didn’t somehow end up killing Rei before he could see them again. Somehow he just didn’t see time for a funeral fitting into his uncertain work schedule. “I’m afraid so.” He waved and bid them goodbye.

The fire was nothing that Makoto hadn’t seen before, but there was a good bit of damage to the restaurant. Such a shame that it was locally owned. That meant money for repairs wouldn’t be covered by a corporate. It would devastate the owners.

After a few hours, the fire was subdued and the smoke had mostly dissipated. Most trucks had disbanded, leaving Makoto and a few other stragglers. The man had decided to stick around to speak with Rin – an officer, and a longtime friend, who had arrived on the scene to rule the fire as a kitchen accident.  
With the sun in the midst of setting and the commotion calmed, Makoto was finally able to approach Rin. “These fires just keep getting more common,” the officer grumbled, rubbing a hand over his forehead.

Makoto turned back to the restaurant. “It’s a shame that it happened. I’ve heard the owners are good people.”

“They are,” Rin huffed, “which means the community will probably donate some money for repairs.” At seeing his friend’s distress, he slapped a hand on Makoto’s back. “Which means they’ll be fine. Come on and relax, dammit. There’s a big ocean over there and we’re off duty.”

That was just like Rin, Makoto thought. Of course he never told Rin of his fear of the ocean, not wanting to trouble his friend with the ridiculous phobia. “Ah, maybe next time. I have to get back to my cat.”

Rin’s expression was unamused, to say the very least. “Come on, Makoto.” He grabbed his friend’s wrist and dragged him towards the ocean.  
Makoto knew that the sensation of sand crunching beneath his boots coupled with the easy scent of the ocean should relax him. Instead, his gut coiled and turned to ice. “Rin.” He pulled his wrist back and stopped just short of the water. “You go ahead and swim; I’ll…sit on that rock over there.” 

And he did just that. After moments of hearing Rin bickering at him as to how much he’d changed since high school swim club, all while stripping at the same time, the redhead finally made his way into the ocean, leaving Makoto on the beach. 

The fireman had taken the decency to remove the top half of his uniform and shirt, allowing his chiseled back to soak up what was left of the afternoon sun. After a half hour of watching Rin splash around in the waves, he finally departed – minus his belt. He could have sworn he'd sat it on the rock with the rest of his clothes.

\-------------------------------------- 

“Chloe…it is 3 AM…” Though, he supposed there were worse ways to be woken other than by a ball of pure fluff sitting on his face and demanding attention. Even though Makoto loved his cat, this was time for sleep, so the cat-turned-demon had to be pushed away.

And that was how Makoto found himself on an impromptu morning jog. At 3:30 AM. Because his cat wouldn’t stop pestering him.

He supposed there were worse situations, though. After all, he could still be back in bed, listening to his cat meow up a storm, or he could be Rei and have Nagisa sabotaging his experiments… Yes, there were definitely worse things. Besides, the streets were quiet at this time of night, and the sky was glistening with stars and…and he was really getting out of breath.

The fireman considered himself to be in fairly good shape, all things considering; however, the fire from the day prior had sapped his energy like no other. He supposed that picking up more daily jogs – that aren’t at three in the morning – would be a good idea.

Still, Makoto didn’t wish to return to his apartment just yet. At this time of night, the only thing audible was the sound of the waves rolling to shore. Normally the ocean would have unsettled him, but at this hour, the constant lull of it was soothing. The sweet melody of the ocean drew him closer, just until he could feel the waves lapping against his calves. The chill of the water sapped a hiss from the fireman, who was used to nothing but heat igniting him. He supposed that it wouldn’t be so bad to rest, to listen to the lullaby, and allow it to wash over him.

Makoto perched on the nearby rock. It wasn’t the most comfortable position, but it was infinitely better than returning home with sand in uncomfortable places. His stiff muscles splayed out, smoothed along the chill of the rock, and allowed little droplets of sea mist to gather on his form. He watched as the moonlight reflected against the little beads that piled up on his skin, and Makoto understood why Rei was so fascinated by beauty. Finding something beautiful, even in something as little as droplets from the sea, made everything seem a little better.

“Is this yours?” A voice laced with sea foam asked. Makoto suddenly jerked up, feeling the water roll down his body as he did so, to be met with the fantastical sight of a merman hanging on the edge of the rock. 

The natural response was to scamper back and fall off the rock, making an utter fool of himself and potentially hurting himself. Still, Makoto didn’t act in his normal manner. Something lying in the crystalline eyes that bore into him would not allow him to. Instead, Makoto inched forward to drink in the sight of the merman in front of him. Until that night, he had only thought them beautiful myths; however, he could no longer deny their existence as he peered at the scales on the merman’s arms. Instead of reflecting the moonlight as the droplets on Makoto’s own skin did, the scales appeared to be made of the moonlight itself. As if an artisan had taken each scale, dipped it in liquid moonlight, and wove them together to create the masterpiece in front of him.

“Hey, is this yours?” The voice snapped Makoto out of his trance, and he was finally able to peer at what the merman was gesturing to. There, clasped in webbed fingers, was the belt he had lost the day prior.

The fireman hesitantly reached forward to take the leather belt from him. “I – I thought I lost this,” said Makoto as he managed to find his voice, albeit quieter than usual. “How did you find it?” 

“I took it.” At the very least, he was blunt. “It caught the sun, and I liked it.” Because it was shiny, Makoto realized. This merman, this…creature of beauty, as Rei would refer to him, took his belt because he thought it was shiny.

Still, Makoto was surprised that he was so calm around this being. He would have thought that he was insane, or worse, in this situation; but he was calm. He had no reason to be afraid.

Looking over the belt, he noticed that it seemed to have a little dent in the buckle that wasn’t there before. “Thank you,” said Makoto, “for returning it.” He supposed that a little merman curiosity wasn’t so bad. “What’s your name?”

“Haru.” The merman pulled himself up and out of water to sit beside the other. His tail seemed almost impossibly long as it stretched off the rock and into the waters   
below. His fin splashed about in the waves, just to feel the cool water still. “And you’re Makoto.”

“Whoa, is that a part of being a merman? Knowing names?” He asked excitedly.

“No, I heard your friend say it yesterday when he was swimming in my waters.”

“Oh. I suppose that makes more sense.” Makoto rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly.

Haru leaned in a bit closer, obviously very fascinated with this human. “Why didn’t you swim with him?”

“I…it’s the ocean. I’d rather swim in a pool. The ocean is too unpredictable.” That probably sounded ridiculous for a merman to hear, but there was no sense in lying.

Haru’s tail flicked, sending a bit of water up to spray Makoto in the face. “Did that feel bad?” He caught the fireman in the middle of his protest. “Then the ocean doesn’t hate you. I watched you put out a lot of fires with water. You love water in a way that no one else does.”

Makoto had never thought of it that way. He always thought about his career as being solely about the fire, but that was wrong. His job revolved around the water – about using it for the greater good. The job he had always associated with heat, destruction, and flame had always truly been about replenishment and life through water.  
“The ocean will never hurt you. It loves you, too.” Haru looked back out at the waves and slipped off the rock. A webbed hand was extended to Makoto in offering. “It won’t harm you.”

Makoto was tempted, but there was still the voice of caution in the back of his mind. He couldn’t swim there, not yet, but he would get there. Reaching forward, Makoto clasped his hand around the merman’s and allowed his lips to turn up in a gentle smile. “I’m not ready to swim right now, but I’ll come back every night until I am ready.” He carefully squeezed the hand. He was afraid that if he had let go, he would never see the merman again. “I’d like to swim with you one day, Haru.”

The warmth of a human hand was so unfamiliar, but Haru found himself craving more. The ocean was his home – his eternal love – but it was not warm. This human, on the other hand, was something special. “I’ll meet you then.” Slowly, Haru pulled his hand away from the human’s and slipped below the water seamlessly.

And for a long while, Makoto sat there, tracing his fingertips over the incoming waves. When the sun started to rise, he met the sky’s array of colors with a new purpose. He stood to return home to his cat. After all, he’d be out again late the next night.

**Author's Note:**

> Merry Christmas littlev123. You've been my best friend since we were very young, and it's about time I followed through on a proper present. Also, huge shoutout to kairixxxsora16 for being a wonderful editor, thank you lovely. I hope you all enjoyed this little fic, and reviews are always welcome.


End file.
